On The Verge

Lonesome Shack

Seattle, Wash.
Blues-Fueled Time Machine
www.lonesomeshack.com

It sounds like a cross between Robert Johnson going down to the crossroads and Sonny Rollins going up on the bridge. About 10 years ago, Ben Todd burrowed into the isolation of New Mexico’s Gila Wilderness with not much more than his guitar and a copy of Harry Smith’s Anthology of American Folk Music. Todd went into the experience as a veteran of the Seattle punk scene; he emerged from it as a serious bluesman. When he and jazz drummer Kristian Garrard happened to cross musical paths in 2007, magic happened and Lonesome Shack was born. Think Ginger Baker-meets-R.L. Burnside and you’re getting close to the greasy grit of the duo’s 2010 release Slidin’ Boa. And the addition of bassist Luke Bergman on Lonesome Shack’s upcoming City Man album infuses things with an even deeper, darker groove. What Cream did with rock and roll? That’s what Lonesome Shack is doing with electric country blues. “We’re definitely moving away from the traditional style and exploring more,” says Todd.